Tadaaa! I told you I just needed to edit! :D

Lady Luck

Cloud and Tifa had been nervous about their fifth attempt at a child, but after hearing that Tifa was pregnant with twins, the pair assumed they would be having two more dead children. Tifa had had two early miscarriages after Eiden, although the baby girl resulting from Tifa's fourth pregnancy, who they named Katrina, had developed much further than Eiden and had survived a day to her brother's few minutes. Cloud had been convinced that the second too-small child was going to make it, even with a severe brain deficiency and distorted body. Doctors offered to abort one of the current children to increase the second child's chances of survival, but Tifa refused. During one of Tifa's ultrasounds about four months into the pregnancy, it was discovered that the twin boys were conjoined at the stomach and that one of the twins' legs wasn't forming correctly. Tifa cried that night and tried to ignore her growing pains.

As the pregnancy continued for another month, problems continued to arise and Tifa had to be put on bedrest at the hospital. Keeping the Seventh Heaven in shape fell to Cloud afterwards, which kept him from visiting his wife during the day. Barret would visit and keep Cloud updated on how Tifa was doing or he would look after the restaurant if something serious came up with the pregnancy. Cloud and Tifa talked a lot over the phone. In this fashion, Tifa miraculously got to the third trimester. Everyone knew that this was a blessing. Even if the twins were born now, they had a fairly decent chance of survival if kept in the ICU. Cloud's magic pot hunting a couple years ago proved itself to be unimaginably useful.

A couple of weeks later, Cloud got his usual call from Tifa, but when he answered, she was struggling to keep herself calm.

"Cloud, you need to come now. The babies are in trouble a-and I'm on my way to the delivery room," she stuttered.

"I'm on my way. You'll be fine, Tifa. I'll call Barret."

"Okay…"

Cloud hung up and called Barret while he finished cleaning up a couple dishes.

"What's up, Spike?" the large man hollered over the noise of his new metal-working shop.

"Tifa's having the kids. Just…y'know."

"On my way. Send me some pics! They'll be adorable!" Barret called.

Cloud ran into Tifa's room after going through all of the maddening hospital protocol. She was lying on a surgery table and there was a sheet keeping her from seeing the doctors beginning to cut through her abdomen to get to the twins. Some of the tension lifted from Tifa's eyes as soon as she saw Cloud. She reached a shaking hand out to him and he took it immediately. He started rubbing her scarred knuckles.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get here faster," Cloud said. His voice was slightly muffled by the face mask he wore.

"It's okay," Tifa said quietly, "What's Dr. Grainer doing now?"

"Uh…" Cloud glanced uneasily across the sheet, then looked back at Tifa's face quickly, his face pale, "He's cutting through tissue…and stuff…"

Tifa looked at Cloud, "I didn't know you were squeamish."

Cloud shook his head, "Usually I'm not. But it makes me uncomfortable seeing your insides."

Tifa nodded understandingly. The pair made small talk to block out the noises of surgery until a tiny, pitiful squeak, followed by a second squeak, floated over to them. Cloud stopped mid-sentence and looked over at his sons, carefully avoiding looking at the gaping hole in Tifa's belly. The two boys fit in Dr. Grainer's hands easily. The doctor walked over and showed Tifa the children.

"Here are your boys, Mrs. Strife."

Tifa brought her hands to her mouth. She reached out and Dr. Grainer placed the boys in her hands. She wiped each of their foreheads and kissed them before handing them back to the doctor.

Cloud rubbed his sons' heads, "Make sure they stay alive."

"I always do my best to keep children alive," Dr. Grainer replied before placing the children in the ready incubator and rushing them to ICU.

For the next few weeks, the boys stayed in an incubator. It was impossible for the time being to separate them and keep them alive. The boys were almost always with their mother or father, the only exception being when Tifa was asleep and Cloud had to go home after visiting hours had ended. Cloud and Tifa had decided to name the boys after Cloud's friend Zack, and the man Zack had talked about often, Angeal. Maybe their spirits would help keep the boys alive. Cloud knew how happy Zack would be if he knew. Despite the twins' faces being identical, it was easy to tell them apart. Angeal's leg hadn't developed past his knee and his right hand had only three fingers, and the pad of that hand had grown very little beyond his wrist. The effect made it look like he had two very long fingers and a thumb. The muscle in Zack's skinny left arm was developing slowly and he had trouble opening his eyes. But they were surviving. Other than a couple of scares when Zack stopped breathing, the boys had few health issues.

Tifa was released from the hospital a week after Zack and Angeal had been born, but the boys had to stay until they were about two months old.

The week before the boys were scheduled to come home, Cloud and Tifa called all of their friends and invited them to welcome the babies. Not all of them could make it (Cid and Shera for example. Shera was far too pregnant to be flying anywhere and Cid didn't want to leave her). Vincent couldn't be reached, but Mrs. Strife, Barret, Nanaki, Yuffie, and Reeve were able to be there. When Cloud walked in holding the children's car seat Yuffie ran forward, "Aww! You guys! They're so cu-" she blinked, "Isn't it supposed to be only one baby per seat? I mean, do what you want, they're your kids, but…"

Tifa shook her head and hefted Zell's old baby bag on her shoulder, glad to finally be able to use it again, "They're conjoined, Yuffie. They share a body."

Yuffie's jaw dropped, "What? That's a thing? I thought that only happened in movies!"

Cloud scowled as Mrs. Strife pinched Yuffie's arm in a silent word of caution, "Is there a problem?" he asked.

The ninja waved her hands, "No, no! I was just surprised! Don't get so over protective, Cloud!"

"Sorry. But they're my and Tifa's first kids to live long enough to come home."

Yuffie nodded, "Yeah, I get it. Can I hold them? I promise to be real careful!"

Cloud looked at his wife. Tifa nodded at Yuffie, "Sure you can hold them, Yuffie. Let me show you how," Tifa traded the baby bag for the car seat and walked a bouncing Yuffie over to the sofa. At 21 years old, you'd think that Yuffie would be a bit more mature…

Barret elbowed Cloud in the ribs, "Looks like my 'good luck' worked wonders eh, Spike?" he said proudly.

"Tch, sure Barret. Nevermind the fact that they've been fully dependent on modern technology to survive for their whole existence."

Barret crossed his arms, "Hmph. I was just sayin' congratulations, you bastard," he grabbed Cloud's head and gave a violent noogie. Cloud punched Barret in the gut several times before the larger man let him go.

"Jeezus Christ, Cloud! I thoughtchew'd punch easier after all this time without a threat to the world!" Barret cried, holding his abdomen.

Cloud smirked and shrugged, "Just 'cause you've let yourself go doesn't mean I have to. And besides, I'm 14 years younger than you. I'm supposed to be in better shape."

"Little punk. Why I oughta-" Barret drew back his metal hand.

"Cloud. Barret. Knock that off right now." Tifa scolded, "And Cloud. If age is the only factor in strength, then I can beat you in a fight."

"You probably could," Reeve laughed, "All you'd have to do is get rid of Cloud's sword and you have a massive upper hand. Er. Fist."

The room burst into laughter. Even Cloud smirked. A very good point from Reeve.

Zack started crying when the sudden burst of noise woke him and his brother. Angeal hiccupped into tears shortly after. Yuffie hurriedly gave the children back to their mother, "Your turn, Mom!"

Tifa happily accepted her crying sons.

When Zack and Angeal were three years old, they had the surgery done to separate them from one another. They remained in the hospital for two weeks afterward, and cried anytime they didn't share the same bed to sleep in, but otherwise, the two loved their newfound freedom. Angeal had trouble learning how to use the prosthetic leg Cid had made for him without Zack to lean on, but was catching on quickly. The bigger problem was Zack himself. The child had been born almost entirely blind and had relied heavily on Angeal to know where he was going. Now without the help of his brother's eyes, Zack was lost. He often gave up after running into something and sat down and cried until someone picked him up.

When the boys got back to their house after recovery, they were immediately more comfortable. Angeal tottered all over and worked at not walking sideways. Zack dropped to his hands and knees and started feeling his way to Marlene and Denzel's old room and the toys that lay within. The two teenagers enjoyed living with Barret in the gun shop he opened about half a year ago. Barret, knowing he wasn't exactly the "managing" type, left money and shop maintenance to the people Tifa and Reeve had found, but had a large array of services he could provide as one of the best metalworkers in the city.

Tifa picked Zack up carefully, cautious of the stitches in his torso. She gave him a kiss and cuddled her baby close. Zack burrowed into his mother, eyes closed and totally content and happy. He sat up, his blind eyes struggling to find Tifa's face, "Mama?"

"Yeah, honey?" Tifa shifted Zack so he could look her in the face more easily.

"I feel funny. I want Angeal."

"Alright," Tifa walked over to where Cloud was playing with Angeal and set Zack down. Zack closed the space between himself and his brother and sat with his foot touching Angeal's. Angeal plopped down next to his brother and threw a block in Zack's lap. Zack giggled and picked up the block, circling it in his hands. Cloud and Tifa smiled at each other. They were really starting to look like a normal family now.

Angeal grabbed some more blocks and threw them at his brother's head, making Zack shriek and hit Angeal back. Angeal smacked his brother once before their parents pulled the boys apart, Angeal laughing and Zack crying. Yup, exactly like a normal family.

Thank you for reading and hopefully enjoying!